Bell and hopper m ech anism



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. W. GORDON.

BELL AND HOPPER MECHANISM FOR BLAST FURNACES.

No. 298,370. Patented May 13,' 1884.

Witnesses Inventor N PETERS, Pbalo-Ulhugnphuv, Wnhi n nnnnnn c,

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(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

P. W. GORDON. BELL AND HOPPER MECHANISM FOR BLAST FURNACES.

No. 298,870. Patented May 13,1884.

@l"f@l@-lnllllmm Attorney (No Model.)

P. W; GORDON.

BELL AND HOPPER MECHANISM FOR BLAST FURNACES.

3 Sheets-Sh'eet 3.

No. 298,370. Patented May 13, 1884.

Attorney N4 PETZRS. PholmL ilhngnphzr, Washi nnn nn c.

NiTE TATES FRED. WV. GORDON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA..

BELL AND HOPPER MECHANISM ,FOR BLAST-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,370, dated May 13, 1884.

Application filed October 22, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED. W. GORDON, of Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bell and Hopper Mechanism for Blast- Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to improvements in the ordinary bell and hopper mechanism for the tops of blast-furnaces.

The invention relates to the raising and lowering devices, as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of the top of a blast-furnace provided with my improved bell and hopper mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical section of the crab-stand at the tail of the bell-lever, and Fig. 4 a horizontal section of the crab-stand.

In the drawings, A represents the top portion of ablast-furnace; B, the hopper-casting, constructed as usual; 0, the bell, fitted to operate in connection with the hopper in the usual manner; D, the charging-platform around the top of the furnace; E, the extension of the top platform toward the hoist-house; F, the suspending-rod to which the bell is attached; G, the supporting-pin by which the bell-rod is attached at the apex of the bell, the apex of the bell being slotted,and the pin being passed through the jaws thus formed and through the eye of the rod; H, a high thin arch supported on the furnace-top and springing over the hopper, it being arranged,preferably, in the line of the extension of the platform toward the hoisthouse; I, a pair of rods attached to the bell, guided through holes in the arch, and provided with enlargements at their upper ends; J, cushion-springs around the rods I above the arch; K, the bell-lever pivoted to the arch; L, a wristblock fitted upon the bell-rod sufficiently loose to slide therein; M, the side links connecting the head of the bell-lever with the wrist-block; N, keys through the bell-rod at the top and bottom of the wrist-block; O,a mortise through the bell-rod at a point lying directly over the arch when the bell is up; 1?, a series of mortises in the bell-rod below the wrist-block; Q, the counterbalance-box on the tail of the belllever; R, the fender for the topmans protection; S, a cylindrical weight hung to the tail of the bell-lever; T, rack-teeth in the cylindril cal weight; U, the crab-stand, being acasting bored to fit the cylindrical weight which slides throughit, and'fitted to sustain the operating mechanisnn v, the crank-wheel for operating the weight; W, thelock-lever of the crab-stand; X, a pinion upon the shaft of the hand-crank engaging the teeth of the cylindrical weight; Y',-a friction-pad seated loosely in a recess in the bore of the crab-stand, and fitting the surtric portion of the shaft of the lock-lever hearing against the back of the friction-pad.

The cylindrical weight is constructed of considerable size, and forms a portion of the counter-balance of the bell,but its functions arehere-' inafter set forth, and do'not essentially require that it shall act as such counter-balance. It will, however, be spoken of in the description as a \veight.

The weight may be raised and lowered through the crab-stand by means of the hand crank in an obvious manner. When the lock lever, which is provided with an adjustable heavy weight, is thrown into the position rep resented by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the frictionpad will be held against the cylindrical weight with great force, and the weight will be thereby firmly retained in any position in which it may be set. If the lock-lever be thrown back.- ward in the position indicated in Fig. 1, the friction-pad will be free and the weight is at liberty to be moved up or down through the crabstand by means of the hand-crank, or by means of the other forces naturally applied to it. The counterbalancing-weight at the heel of the bell-lever is arranged to slightly overbalance the bell,whereby the bell is normally held in a closed position, as shown in Fig. 1.

In the operation of charging the furnace the lock-lever is thrown forward, so as to prevent the weight from rising through the crab-stand. The charge is then dumped into the hopper. The lock-lever is then thrown forward, and the weight of the charge upon the bell causes it to descend and discharge its load, after which it automatically rises to a closed position, when the lock-lever is to be again thrown forward preparatory to the dumping of the new charge into the hopper. The crank-wheel and rackand-pinion arrangement permits the bell to be operated without being charged. The pin G, uniting the bell-rod to the bell, is entirely exterface of the cylindrical weight, and Z an eccen-' a nal to the bell,and in case any renewal of parts is rendered necessary by accident, such renewal may be effected without inconvenience,which is not the case where the bell-rod attachment is dependent upon devices within the bell, and the jaws each side of the rod-eye serve to protect the foot of the rod from the action of the sulphurous gases. The rods I serve to prevent the dropping of the bell in case of breakage of the bell-rod, and also serve, through the medium of the springs J, to cushion it at the end of its fall,whether its fall be the usual descent in operation or its accidental descent upon the breaking of its rod.

I make provision for utilizing the mechanism as a handling device in the removal of the bell orhopper and in the insertion of new ones. When the bell is up, as shown in Fig. 1, apin is put through the hole 0 in the bell-rod over the arch. KeysN are then withdrawn and the tail of the bell-lever lifted by the hand-crank, whereby the wrist-block becomes moved some distance down upon the bell-rod, the bell being in the meantime supported by the pin above the arch. A key can now be inserted over the wrist-block in one of the mortises P. Depress ing the tail of the bell-lever will now lift the bell and hopper upward from the throat of the furnace a sufiicient distance to permit the pin above the arch to be put through one of the lower mortises,which has appeared above the arch, after which the operation may be repeated, a new hitch being taken upon the bell-rod and reaching upward through an eye in the arch, a mortise and pin or equivalent arrangement at the rod above the arch, for supporting the bell independent of the lever mechanism, and a connection between the lever and the rod fitted to take hold of the rod at difl'erent points in its length, combined substantially as set forth, for the purpose of enabling the bell-lifting mechanism to be used in removing the hopper.

2. In a blast-furnace, a bell and hopper, an arch over the throat of the furnace, a lever to operate the bell, a rod connecting the lever with the bell, and one or more rods independent of said connecting-rod provided with enlargements at their upper ends attached to the bell and engaging through eyes in the arch, combined substantially as set forth, for the purpose of supporting the bell in its open position when the connection between the bell and lever is broken.

3. Ina blast-furnace, the combination of a bell and hopper, a lever for operating the bell, a vertically-arranged rack hung to the tail of the lever, a crank-wheel and pinion engaging said rack, friction-pad engaging said rack, an eccentric engaging the friction pad, and a weighted lever to said eccentric, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a blast-furnace, the combination of a feed-hopper, bell,and operating-lever with the cylindrical weight S, having teeth T, the crabstandU,fittin g th ecylindrical weight, the crank and pinion VX, the friction-pad Y, the weighted look-lever W, and the eccentric Z, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FRED. WV. GORDON.

\Vitnesses:

TI-IO1VIAS DEEGAN, FRANK E. From. 

